X5 Music Group, hailed as “unlikely trailblazers…[offering] insight into the future of music distribution” by the Wall Street Journal, has confirmed breakthrough licensing deals with four important labels covering tens of thousands of tracks in diverse genres. New catalog licensing deals for X5, “one of the fastest growing music labels out there” (APM’s Marketplace radio show), include Cooking Vinyl, Welk Music Group (including Vanguard and Sugar Hill labels), and OneRPM.
These signings cement the success of the X5’s profitable “Digital 2.0″ business model, which by focusing on the marketing of back catalogs and the creation of custom compilations, radically shifts the way digital music is packaged, sold, and enjoyed. X5 Music Group has sold an astonishing quarter-billion songs digitally to date and dominates the classical music charts, currently holding a remarkable 12 of the top 20 slots on Amazon’s MP3 chart.
Throughout 2012, X5 Music Group will be releasing hundreds of customized digital compilation albums each month from these new catalog signings. X5 anticipates launching customized digital titles produced from these recordings as early as March with significant releases in genres such as Folk, World, Brazilian, Bluegrass, Blues and Jazz while also continuing to produce top charting Classical albums.
“We anticipate these signings will allow us to replicate our classical music success into several other genres†say Scott Ambrose Reilly. “Cooking Vinyl, Welk Music Group, and OneRPM.com are three of the most diverse and well-renowned labels out there, and we couldn’t ask for better partners to help expand X5’s success .”
X5 has signed licensing deals with the following labels:
• The UK-based Cooking Vinyl has been one of the world’s most successful independent labels with releases from Prodigy, Groove Armada, and The Cranberries, soon to followed by a new albums from Marilyn Manson and The Cult. Cooking Vinyl has a historic catalog and over the last 25 years has released an eclectic array of folk, rock, punk, and electronica albums from the likes of The Cowboy Junkies, Ryan Adams, Ron Sexsmith, Richard Thompson, Frank Black, and Billy Bragg.
• Welk Music Group is owned by the Welk family and is one of the world’s leading independent record companies. It is comprised of Vanguard Records, Sugar Hill Records and Ranwood Records. The distinctive releases under the Welk umbrella include albums from Nickel Creek, Doc Watson, Reckless Kelly, Robert Earl Keen, Ian & Sylvia, Buddy Guy, The Clancy Brothers, James Cotton, the Rooftop Singers, Big Mama Thornton, Country Joe & The Fish, Charlie Musselwhite, Mississippi John Hurt, Odetta, John Fahey, Junior Wells, Lawrence Welk and thousands of other storied recordings.
• OneRPM.com is a global digital music company and independent artist-focused platform that has found considerable success in Brazil and Latin America.
The news of these deals comes on the heels of X5’s latest success and “the year’s weirdest hit album” (Rolling Stone), ‘The Greatest Video Game Music’ performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, which debuted at #23 on the Billboard 200 thanks in part to its astonishing digital success on Amazon. Wall Street Journal and Mashable recently ran spotlights on X5’s groundbreaking business model. For more info on X5’s NYC team of digital music veterans, click here.
X5 Music Group has previously announced and partnership and licensing deal with Naxos, the largest classical music label, and a licensing agreement with the legendary Sun Records.